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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cap — of ice
  5. march — the month
  6. cap — a lid
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ground — the earth
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. march — music
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kid — to tease
  21. march — the month
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rash — a series
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com